Chapter 14:
Physical Geography of Russia

"Siberia"

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IntroductionRich in natural beauty, resources, and history, Siberia casts a great and sometimes foreboding shadow over Russia's national consciousness. As Russia's frontier, Siberia has many historical parallels with the western United States. At the Meeting of Frontiers Web site, you can learn more about how Siberia's physical geography shaped the region's development.

Click on Development. Read this page, and then click on and read Agriculture in Siberia.

Return to the main screen and click on Exploration. Read this page, and then click on The Russian Discovery of Siberia and Mapping of Siberia. Read this page.

Return to the main screen and click on National Identity. Read this page, and then click on and read Tourism.

Take notes as you read through the site, and then use the information you gathered to answer the following questions.

1

What natural resource first drew Russians to Siberia? What role did the same natural resource have in the development of the western United States?

2

How did Russian farmers adapt their agricultural methods to the Siberian climate? What impact did Russian farmers have on Siberian agriculture?

3

Why did governments throughout western Europe commission new maps of Siberia in the mid-1500s?

4

Following World War II, why did Siberia become a popular tourist destination?

5

In the 1800s major gold deposits were discovered in the western United States and Siberia. On a separate sheet of paper, create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the gold rushes on the two frontiers.